


Uncertain Flame of Hope

by Miss_Nihilist



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Developing Friendships, Extended Scene, Gen, Teambuilding, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27952241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Nihilist/pseuds/Miss_Nihilist
Summary: Gueira didn’t make a habit out of trusting strangers, but he was hoping that this “Lio Fotia” turned out to be exactly what the Mad Burnish needed. And Meis seemed to trust him, so he couldn’t be that bad. Hopefully.As a result of his dramatic entrance and stunning victory against the Freeze Force, Lio spends his first night with the Mad Burnish laying down rules and making friends. Even a terrorist group needs standards, right?
Relationships: Lio Fotia & Gueira & Meis
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Uncertain Flame of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> So, I watched Side: Lio recently and immediately had to take a break from the last chapter of my Galo/Lio fic to pound out this oneshot. I don't think it's perfect or anything, but fuck, I needed more content with these three beginning to bond.
> 
> (My girlfriend made me post this one, too. She's so mean sometimes.)

The sun was relentless, glaring down on them and making their surroundings seem to swim together. Behind them, the mountains were long in the distance and had turned to dunes. The desert seemed to be endless, sprawling out in every direction. Gueira had never come out this far, and for good reason — sure, the heat didn't bother him, but the amount of walking and the sun in his eyes were gradually pissing him off more and more with every step. He had sand in his boots and under his clothes. A mile back, his posture had slumped into an unhappy slouch. 

"Are you going to tell us where we're going now?" He asked impatiently to the figure in front of him. 

Lio Fotia didn't even turn around. "We're nearly there," he said instead of answering properly. "This way." He turned slightly to the left and began to slide down the sand dune they'd spent the last ten minutes climbing. Countless more seemed to be waiting in front of them. 

Gueira muffled a long, suffering groan. He turned to Meis next to him with a scowl. "Why're we taking orders from this guy, again?" He muttered. 

"You saw what he did," Meis whispered back. "I've never met another Burnish with as much talent as… well, us. We should at least try to get more details on him before we make any decision one way or the other."

Right. Maybe they'd been a little hasty in declaring Lio part of the Mad Burnish but, in Gueira's defense, he had been _really_ impressed. It didn't escape him that this would make for an optimal set-up. It seemed a little _too_ perfect. They'd been at the end of their rope, captured already by the Freeze Force when a mysterious newcomer almost single-handedly managed to beat them off. The only reason Gueira wasn't _more_ suspicious was because, well, they'd all been captured already. It didn't make any sense to implant a mole to capture them when they had already been captured. 

Movement broke him from his thoughts; Meis tugging on his wrist, and Gueira made a soft grunt as he started down the side of the dune after Lio. Kicking up sand and stumbling, struggling not to cough, he nonetheless got to the bottom and righted himself. The others followed suit — Meis, but also their men. They hadn't lost any fighters, but Gueira was hardly pleased. All of those innocent Burnish had been hauled off to a prison camp. That wasn't a victory. 

So they kept walking. If Lio was as fantastic as Gueira had been led to believe, he might be enough to turn the tides of their “civil unrest.” Although, maybe that was the wrong word when they were burning down buildings and killing people. 

Well, _formerly_ killing people. Lio didn’t seem to be a huge fan of more permanent solutions to the people hunting them. Gueira wasn't sure yet how he felt about that. 

Gradually, the terrain smoothed out. Sandy dunes gave way to dry dirt and patches of ugly, dying grass. They followed an old road that was little more than a worn path. They’d stopped to eat once, but Lio had stood some distance away from the group eating what looked like hard bread. They were working together, sure, but they didn’t know each other. Gueira wasn’t about to show his back to Lio.

It was only when the sun was on the horizon that Lio finally spoke again. 

“We’re here,” Lio said. He pointed forward and, when Gueira lifted his head, his jaw dropped. “We can set up a more permanent base here. I’ve scoured the area for months to find the perfect place. A successful movement needs something more reliable than an abandoned gas station.” 

For a second, Gueira was annoyed, but then he forgot it. In the distance, framed against the sun, there was a volcano. It had to be new because he had never seen it in the area before. It was huge, towering over what looked to be an abandoned construction site. Whatever had been in progress, Gueira couldn’t begin to guess, but it was _massive_. More than enough room for thousands of people, high off the ground so that they could see anyone approaching, secluded enough that no one could complain about them starting fires. 

It was, by all accounts, perfect. And Lio was just giving it to them. 

Meis let out a low whistle, drawing himself forward to stand at Lio’s side. “Nice,” he remarked. “How did you find a place like this?”

“Luck, I suppose.” Lio shrugged. There was the faintest beginning of a smile on his face. “I thought that a base near a volcano would be the smartest option. The Freeze Force tracks large bodies of heat using thermal imaging, which is how they find your group so often. By hiding at the base of a volcano, we’ll blend right into the background when they do their fly-over scans. The building already being here was just happenstance.” 

Gueira made a noncommittal hum. “It’ll service,” he said. No need to sound too impressed. He was pretty sure that he’d done enough to pump up Lio’s ego when he was left too stunned to argue during their escape from the Freeze Force. He gestured to the rest of the Mad Burnish behind him, who had finally removed their helmets. “Alright, you heard him. This place is going to be our base for the time being, so we might as well make ourselves at home. Try not to burn it all down.” 

There were a few nods, but mostly just cheers and whoops as the rest of them went on ahead. A few lingered, but Gueira narrowed his eyes and most of them got the memo. Only one of his men stopped, a woman named Natsume. Gueira remembered rescuing her when her Burnish street gang had been raided and hauled off. Only she and two others had managed to get away and she’d remained paranoid as a result. 

“You’re sure we can trust him?” She asked quietly, a hand on Gueira’s shoulder. 

He was quiet for a moment. “Do you have any better ideas?” 

The truth was, Gueira didn’t trust Lio all that much, either. Meis hadn’t said anything against him, so it was safe to say that he didn’t have too many reservations. Gueira didn’t like to put his hopes into something that was likely to fall through but, at this point, what was there for him to do? Natsume seemed to agree. She shot an uneasy look at Lio, then nodded and walked on ahead with the others to their shelter. 

Once they were out of earshot, Meis chuckled. “So you were serious about making a city for the Burnish, then? It seems a little far-fetched.” 

Lio gave him a side look, his face unreadable. “Far-fetched how?” His voice was flat. 

“Isn’t it obvious?’ Gueira shrugged with one shoulder. “We’re constantly being hunted. If we try to build a city, sure we might get some good progress, but it’ll just be destroyed or we’ll all be hunted down and imprisoned eventually. That’s why we stay on the move.” 

It wasn't like having a town or center hadn’t crossed Gueira’s mind before. But it was impossible. It was better for them to keep jumping from city to city. Not that they ever got very far before the Freeze Force caught up with them. 

“We can’t stay on the defensive,” Lio said after a moment, turning thoughtful. “Hunting us down and forcing us to scatter, stay in small groups for survival, is a way of destroying our sense of community and demoralizing us. I don’t know yet why the Foresight Foundation is tracking all of us so relentlessly, but we’ll learn what we have to. For now, I think that we should work on saving anyone we can. We can bring them here and create a safe haven that we’ll defend with our lives if we have to.” His expression tightened. “We’ll do something permanent about the Freeze Force, eventually. Burning down buildings is good for getting their attention and keeping them busy. But we need to get better about the escape routes that we leave for people. The deaths of innocents aren’t going to help anyone.”

Gueira snorted. “And who made _you_ the boss?” He snapped. “You just joined a few hours ago and you already think you get to tell us what to do? The Mad Burnish isn’t a _revolutionary group_.” 

He faced Lio head-on, both of them glaring at each other. If it came to a fight, Gueira wasn’t sure how well he would fare. But like hell was he going to back down.

“Why not?” Meis interrupted. He set a hand on Gueira’s arm, pulling him back a little. “We’ve always wanted to do something about the Burnish who get captured, but we’ve never known where to start. Lio has some good ideas. It has to be better than just burning down buildings for fun, right?” 

“It’s not for fun!” Gueira protested. “We burn because we have to! You know that.” That was true, but he knew even as he said it that he was being disingenuous. Burn, yes. Burn _buildings_? That was his own choice, not something he _needed_ to do. 

“You’re making excuses,” Lio said. “You could be doing something for the betterment of our people right now and instead, you just got done destroying a pharmaceutical building _and_ your poor judgment resulted in dozens of innocent Burnish being arrested.” 

The _only_ reason that Gueira didn’t punch Lio for that was because Meis was still holding onto his dominant arm. His fingers curled into fists anyway and Gueira felt his face turning red with humiliation. “What the fuck do you think you know about us, huh? You roll in at the last minute like you’re hot shit and just expect us to worship the ground you walk on because you don’t want to hurt people. You’re not the second coming of Christ, kid. Ideals are all well and good, but you’re going to get someone killed if you can’t do what it takes, _no matter what_.” 

Lio’s expression had closed off again, becoming just as unreadable as before. “I know enough,” he said finally. “I’ve been watching the Mad Burnish for a long time, you know. I think we can change the world. If you’d rather stick to just being an arsonist biker, I won’t stop you.” 

The silence was tense. Gueira’s glare faltered. He didn’t know what to say. Backing down in front of Lio seemed too much like giving in, like admitting to some sort of vulnerability or flaw. And Gueira’s pride wasn’t about to allow _that_. He liked Lio’s ideas, but that didn’t mean that he liked being talked to like he was an idiot. 

In the end, it was Meis who decided to cut the tension. “We’ve been “arsonist bikers” for a little over a year now,” he said conversationally. “It’s a bit difficult to move on from. And what about you? You’re one of the most powerful Burnish we’ve ever come across. How long have you been training?”

Folding his arms over his chest, Gueira scoffed and muttered, “I wouldn’t say he’s _that_ powerful…” 

Paying him no mind, Lio looked away, toward the horizon. Where they’d come from. Checking to see if they’d been followed, maybe? “It doesn’t really matter,” he said at last. “You two have a history together, which is admirable, but I’m not trying to make friends. This isn’t about me. This is about the Burnish, and the people we could be helping. All the suffering that could come to an end if we decided to gather what power we have and do something about it.” 

Gueira frowned, but it was less than skin deep. “You say that like it’s easy,” he pointed out. It wasn’t. He knew that already, had seen first-hand how peaceful protests ended. Burnish neighborhoods overrun with ice and those fucking Freeze Force sirens. 

When Lio turned to him, he was smiling. It was the second smile that Gueira had ever seen from him; a sad, tight thing that made Gueira wonder what battle was raging in Lio’s head. What memories of suffering did he have to carry with him, to have come this far? And still not want to kill anyone — not because he had anything against murder, but because he knew how it would reflect upon the rest of the Burnish. 

“It won’t be,” Lio assured him. He quirked a brow. “Are you scared of a challenge?” 

It wasn’t a subtle attempt to get a dig at him, not by a long shot, but Gueira grinned nonetheless. “Like you need to ask.” 

“I guess not.” A shrug. Lio’s smile slipped into something a little more friendly as he looked between Meis and Gueira. “I know this is sudden. I know I’m probably not someone that you guys want to listen to. There’s a lot of risks that I’m bringing, not just to you two, but to anyone else who follows us.” 

Meis huffed softly. “Waiting for the _“but”_ here, Lio.” 

The look that he shot Meis was one of amusement that quickly settled back into a tense frown. “ _But_ , I, for one, can’t keep living like this. On the run, like who we are is something to be feared or ashamed of. We Burnish can do amazing things. Regardless of what we’re told in the cities, we’re people too. We laugh, we cry, we love. We have dreams. I want a world where accidentally sparking doesn’t get you detained. I don’t want people to be scared of us, or for becoming Burnish to be something to be horrified of. And I think that this city could be the perfect start to showing the world that we're not the mindless monsters we've been painted as. If you’ll follow me.” 

For the first time, Lio looked unsure. His bravado had been stripped away, his motorcycle construct and impressive aim with a bow long gone. It was just Lio, spilling out his life’s dream, asking Meis and Gueira for his support. Complete strangers who were willing to kill and burn _anything_ to get what they wanted. 

At least, that's what they'd been until only an hour ago.

They shared a glance. It was only thanks to all the time they’d spent working together, and as friends before that, that let Gueira understand Meis’ thoughts in an instant. So he turned back to Lio with a smirk and said, “ _If?_ Seems to me like the leader of the Mad Burnish ought to be more confident than that when he’s addressing his generals.” 

The vulnerability of the moment was gone in an instant. Thank fucking God. “Generals?” Lio asked, equal parts hopeful and disbelieving. 

“If you’ll let us follow you,” Meis said. Then, for good measure, he winked and added, “ _Boss_.” 

Lio shot one more fugitive glance at the horizon behind them. Whatever he was looking for, Gueira knew that he wouldn’t find it there. “Like you need to ask,” he retorted. He turned and stalked forward, past them and toward the new Burnish settlement. When they didn’t immediately follow, Lio stopped and turned to face them, jerking his chin toward the setting sun, toward the beginnings of a home. Toward the future. “Are you coming, or do you need another invitation?” 

“You know me, Boss— I come when called,” Gueira quipped, hurrying his pace to fall into step next to Lio. 

There was a short groan. “Okay, firstly, I barely know you at all. Secondly, _please_ don’t tell me that you’re going to make a habit out of calling me “Boss.” I have a name for a reason.”

It wasn’t phrased like an order, so Gueira didn’t see any need to listen. He said nothing, but Meis’ snicker spoke _volumes_. 

Sure, maybe turning a terrorist group into a bunch of well-intentioned revolutionaries was going to backfire horribly, and Gueira was going to end up dead or worse but at least it wasn’t going to be fucking _boring_. And of all the people that Gueira could have chosen to lead him to his death, well… He took in Lio’s profile against the sun with an appraising look. 

It’d be thirty years since the Great World Blaze and Gueira had never heard anyone speak as passionately as Lio did, never seen anyone with such conviction or the power and talent to back it up. He was short and looked like he could be knocked over in a faint breeze. His outfit spoke loudly of trying too hard to impress. He was ornery and didn’t quite seem to know what to do with the authority he’d requested. But Lio gave a damn. He _cared_ , and Gueira wasn’t sure how many people he could say that genuinely about anymore. Probably just a few. 

Yeah. They could have done worse for a Boss.


End file.
